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24 Feb 2009 : Column 527W—continued
Railways: Pennines
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Transpennine Express train services on the Manchester to Hull line scheduled to run at peak hours ran according to the timetable in each year since 1997. [257400]
Paul Clark: This is an operational matter for Network Rail as the custodian of timetable and performance data for the rail industry. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for a response to his question:
Ian Coucher
Chief Executive
Network Rail
40 Melton Street
London, NW1 2EE.
Roads: Repairs and Maintenance
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the schedule for de-trunking of each road in the non-core network in the next five years is. [257397]
Paul Clark: The 1998 Transport White Paper, “A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone”, set in hand a programme of de-trunking to allow the Highways Agency to concentrate on the operation of a strategic road network that links the main centres of population and major transport hubs.
There are four road sections remaining in this de-trunking programme as follows:
The A38 from Minworth (Birmingham) to its junction with the A5 at Weeford Island.
The A63/A19 between the Boot and Shoe roundabout at Micklefield and Loftsome Bridge.
The A65 from M6 junction 36 to the Lancashire/North Yorkshire boundary.
The A40 from Ross-on-Wye to the county of Herefordshire/Gloucestershire boundary.
These road sections are expected to be de-trunked by the end of March 2009 and the de-trunking programme will then be completed.
There are no plans to initiate any similar programme of de-trunking in future years, as distinct from individual de-trunking orders that may be required as a matter of routine following a new road opening, or for operational reasons.
TransPennine Express: Rolling Stock
Dr. Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to ensure that extra carriages for TransPennine Express will be manufactured in England. [257990]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport’s procurement procedures conform to European Union procurement directives and UK regulations which prohibit the selection of suppliers on the grounds of country of origin or manufacture. The Department’s process in evaluating bids does not therefore incorporate such criteria.
The winning bidder for new rolling stock procured by the Department will be selected on the basis of compliance with the technical specification, deliverability and value for money for the taxpayer.
Treasury
Banks: Accountancy
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what dates the auditors of banks regulated by the Financial Services Authority who issued a qualified audit report on the 2007-08 accounts of a bank informed his Department of their plans to issue such reports. [256999]
Ian Pearson: The auditors of banks that are regulated by the FSA have a duty to report to the FSA if they intend to issue a qualified audit report. The auditors do not have a duty to report such matters to HM Treasury.
Capital Gains Tax
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate what the cost to the Exchequer would be of exempting from capital gains tax business owners who sell their businesses upon retirement up to the value of (a) £100,000, (b) £200,000, (c) £300,000, (d) £400,000, (e) £500,000 and (f) £1,000,000 in each financial year from 2009-10 to 2014-15. [257645]
Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the former Financial Secretary (Jane Kennedy) on 22 May 2008, Official Report, column 435W.
Child Care Tax Credit
Ms Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many parents were claiming child care tax credit in respect of children aged (a) between four and 11 and (b) over 11 years old in each of the last three years. [257386]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is available only at a disproportionate cost.
However, estimates of the number of families, by age group of children, benefiting from the child care element of working tax credit at selected dates, are published in table 4.4 of the HMRC publication “Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics” for each year. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
Departmental Sick Leave
Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in his Department were on sick leave for (a) over 30 days, (b) over 50 days and (c) over 100 days in each of the last five years. [256336]
Angela Eagle: The following table shows the total staff on sick leave in each of the last five years.
| Over 30 days | Over 50 days | Over 100 days | |
Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the extra revenue which would be raised in 2008-09 by increasing the rate of duty on cider to that levied on beer. [257504]
Angela Eagle: HM Revenue and Customs publishes estimates of the revenue effects of alcohol duty rate changes on its website:
The duty rate on still cider and perry exceeding 1.2 per cent. abv and not exceeding 7.5 per cent. abv is £31.21 per hectolitre of product. The duty rate on beer is £16.15 per hectolitre per cent. of alcohol in the beer. Hence, the duty rate on beer will vary depending on its alcoholic strength, whereas cider pays the same amount of duty regardless of its strength within the 1.2 per cent.—7.5 per cent. strength band. Any beer with abv in excess of 1.93 per cent. will pay higher duty per hectolitre than cider between 1.2 per cent. abv and 7.5 per cent. abv.
Job Creation
Mr. Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2009, Official Report, column 588W, on public expenditure, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the 100,000 jobs which will go to British workers; and how many of these jobs he expects to arise in relation to eco-friendly projects. [256550]
Angela Eagle: The public sector capital investment brought forward in 2009-10, which was detailed in the pre-Budget report, will create jobs in sectors and communities across the UK. A number of areas in which capital will be brought forward are focused on environmental goals, including the Warm Front programme and spending to improve household energy efficiency.
Non-Domestic Rates: Business
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department carried out of the effect on businesses of the planned increase in national non-domestic rates in April 2009; and if he will make a statement. [256252]
John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
Government policy on Impact Assessments is that they are not required where a predetermined formula, such as the rate of inflation, changes the rate of a tax.
Non-Profit Making Associations
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Office of Government Commerce is taking to implement the recommendations of the Glover review. [257847]
Angela Eagle: In response to the recommendations of the Glover report, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) is working on a number of projects to make it easier for small and medium sized enterprises to supply the public sector. Work is underway to deliver all of the recommendations by the end of 2010, though many will be delivered sooner. An update of progress will be provided at Budget 2009. Government will continue to work closely with SMEs and business representative groups to ensure that the impact of the recommendations is positive.
Public Expenditure: Small Businesses
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department monitors the proportion of Government spending on public sector contracts which goes to small businesses. [257845]
Angela Eagle: HM Treasury does not currently monitor this. However, the Glover report, “Accelerating the SME Economic Engine” published on the HMT website in November 2008, made 12 recommendations to improve SMEE access to public procurement including:
“The committee recommends that all central Government departments should report annually on the value of their contract spend with SMEs.”
Government are currently implementing all the recommendations of the Glover report.
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what training the Office of Government Commerce provides for public procurement managers on dealing with consortia of small businesses tendering for public contracts. [257846]
Angela Eagle: In response to the recommendations of the Glover report, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) is working on a number of projects to make it easier for small and medium sized enterprises to supply the public sector. One of the projects to be delivered this year has a specific focus on advising and training procurers and will cover the issue of consortia bidding. This area is also covered in OGC’s supply chain management guidance which is available on the OGC website.
Regional Planning and Development: Finance
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the timetable is for the next regional finance allocation for each region; and what scrutiny processes apply to the allocations. [258139]
Angela Eagle: The allocation of resources to Government Departments is determined through the regular spending review framework. The allocation of spending to the English regions by Government Departments is determined by a large number of factors taking into account the needs and circumstances of each region.
Revenue and Customs
Mr. Meale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of the closure of HM Revenue and Customs' office, Chaucer House, Mansfield; and by what date he expects such costs to be recouped by anticipated savings resulting from the closure. [257072]
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of the closure of the HM Revenue and Customs office in Burton-on-Trent; and by what date he expects such costs to be recouped by anticipated savings resulting from the closure. [257537]
Mr. Timms: Reliable figures for the costs of closing both offices will only be established once workable options have been found for all staff prior to the buildings being vacated. It is not possible to give a date by which costs would be recouped by anticipated savings from specific closures because HM Revenue and Customs' efficiency savings from business restructuring will be recognised at a department-wide level and not at individual office levels.
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the change in the amount of travel allowance paid in each month to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) staff who are to relocate following the closure of the HMRC office in Burton-on-Trent. [257538]
Mr. Timms: The daily travel allowance that will be paid to staff as a result of the closure of Crown House, Burton on Trent cannot be estimated at this stage. The actual amounts payable depend on a number of factors which cannot be calculated in advance. These can include the mode of transport, the working pattern of the employee, availability of season tickets and cost of fuel, among others. Staff who have been working at this locality will be moving to Derby, Nottingham or Birmingham.
It is not yet certain where all employees currently working at Crown House will relocate to, as the redeployment opportunities we offer include help in moving to other Government Departments, retraining for posts in the wider public sector or other early release schemes.
Mr. Meale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total cost of redundancy payments for HM Revenue and Customs staff who are leaving the service following the closure of Chaucer House, Mansfield. [257027]
Mr. Timms: HMRC has not estimated redundancy payments for the staff at Chaucer House in Mansfield. While it has announced the vacation of the building, with the exception of the Enquiry Centre, by March 2010 HMRC is working with the staff and managers involved to identify redeployment opportunities.
Managers are meeting individually with staff to discuss their personal circumstances and the full package of options and assistance which are available.
HMRC has not used compulsory redundancy to date and will maintain this policy where it is reasonably practical to do so.
Mr. Meale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the change to the total amount of travel allowance paid to HM Revenue and Customs staff who are to relocate following the closure of Chaucer House office, Mansfield. [257177]
Mr. Timms: The daily travel allowance that will be paid to staff as a result of the closure of Chaucer House, Mansfield cannot be estimated at this stage. The actual amounts payable depend on a number of factors which cannot be calculated in advance. These can include the mode of transport, the working pattern of the employee, availability of season tickets and cost of fuel, amongst others.
It is not yet certain that all employees currently working at Chaucer House will relocate to Castle Meadow as the redeployment opportunities we offer include help in moving to other Government Departments, retraining for posts in the wider public sector or other early release schemes.
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of redundancy payments for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) staff who are leaving the service following the closure of the HMRC office in Burton-on-Trent. [257536]
Mr. Timms: HMRC has not estimated redundancy payments for the staff at Crown House in Burton upon Trent. It plans to vacate the building with the exception of one floor containing an inquiry centre by 31 March 2010. HMRC is working with the staff and managers involved to identify redeployment opportunities.
Managers are meeting individually with staff to discuss their personal circumstances and the full package of options and assistance which are available.
HMRC has not used compulsory redundancy to date and will maintain this policy where it is reasonably practical to do so.
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